Better badges: A Clash collection (1979-1983)

Longtime reader Dan McC of Chapel Hill, NC, contributed the above shot of his Clash badge collection to share with us. He put this together over the years 1979-1983. Here's what he had to say for himself:

In 1979 I fell in love with the Clash. I bought the records, of course, and several t-shirts, and I obsessively clipped magazine and newspaper articles about my heroes. But badges proved to be the most accessible merchandise experience for a 14-year-old with limited cashflow and sporadic shopping options. Typically priced at $1 each, punk badges were a staple at any record store that sold any sort of new wave or punk, usually featured on a point-of-purchase impulse rack somewhere near the cash register. As tiny items easily palmed or pocketed, I suspect the retail place was meant to guard against shoplifting, too. Although I had ordered a couple of badges through mail order catalogues, the vast majority of the badges pictured were one-off purchases from record stores in the Baltimore/Washington area.

Thanks Dan! I'm looking forward to future contributions from him.